


Peanut Butter

by Kinshula



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, I'm Sorry, Peanut Butter, Pidge is like a disney princess, Power of Friendship, She just makes friends, These aren't real tags, We're floating around sometime after season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 11:38:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13294074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinshula/pseuds/Kinshula
Summary: Pidge would reflect on this night many years down the line as the night she turned Lotor to her side using peanut butter.Lotor would reflect on it as very bizarre experience.





	Peanut Butter

**Author's Note:**

> Another one shot.  
> I'm hip deep in editing for an actual book I'm writing and needed to loosen my brain muscles with these losers.

Pidge's code was compiling, which was fancy language for: 'Pidge could do what she wanted for three whole hours.'

Because when Pidge's code was compiling she was hands off her programming. There was nothing she could do but wait and twiddle her thumbs. Twiddling her thumbs could include finding a different project, playing video games, or sitting on the kitchen counter at the Earth equivalent of two in the morning and eat peanut butter.

This time she had chosen the latter.

The Paladins, Allura, and Coran, had come to an agreement early in their tenure together that sleep cycles had to be respected. Alteans needed less sleep then humans but tended to sleep for longer periods when they did. The Paladins had their respectable eight hours every night and the Alteans let the others know when they needed to turn in. Pidge, on the other hand slept when she passed out.

At the moment she estimated she was running on five hours of sleep from thirty-six hours ago, coffee, and pure self-hatred.

That was why Lotor was stupid amount of lucky she was the one sitting in the kitchen eating peanut butter instead of say, Keith sitting in the kitchen eating peanut butter. Because it was Pidge eating peanut butter instead of say Shiro eating peanut butter when Lotor walked into the kitchen he wasn't immediately tackled to the ground like a nerd who had wandered onto the football time at the end of the fourth quarter. She only ate more peanut butter whereas Shiro or Keith might've had a reaction of say, outrage or upset because Lotor was supposed to be in a jail cell in the brig instead of in the kitchen looking lost.

Pidge watched Lotor walk halfway into the kitchen, realize this was not the place he needed, and turn to leave. He turned over his left shoulder and spotted Pidge. He startled ever so little but maintained his composure.

Pidge was quite a sight to see. A pink blanket was draped over her shoulders and she wore only a sports bra with oversized gym shorts that she had stolen from Keith. A jar of peanut butter rested in her hand and a long handled spoon to eat it with in the other. Dark circles crowded under her eyes and she stared at Lotor with the half-caring gaze of someone who was supposed to care but actually didn't.

Lotor squinted as if to check that it was actually her and not some strong hallucination he was having.

“Sup,” Pidge said.

“Hello,” Lotor said in response. “What was your name again?”

“Pidge,” She said.

“Hello, Pidge,” he said.

Pidge took another bite of peanut butter.

“What is that?” He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“This is a spoon,” she said, lifting up the corresponding utensil. “You don't have those in Galradom? No, oh, wait, this is peanut butter. Well, it's not actually peanut butter it's just food goo Hunk and I used fancy chemistry on to convince our tongues that it tastes like peanut butter. The texture is off-- wanna try some?”

She offered him the jar and spoon.

“No,” he said. “No, thank you.”

Lotor's eyes shifted towards the door and seemed to be trying to find a way to extract himself. For some reason, he hovered. Mostly because the situation was so strange that he couldn't find himself looking away. It was a lot like watching a horrific tragedy. He wanted to leave and forget it ever happened but just couldn't.

“Okay,” Pidge said. “Hey, shouldn't you uh, be in the jail cell?”

“Should I?” Lotor asked.

“Yeah,” Pidge said and shrugged. “I mean, I didn't agree with it. I mean if you were surrendering to us and we really wanted you as an ally –which personally I do because you're _terrifying_ as an enemy-- then we should be friends and be nice to you. Activate some good ole' fashion Stockholm syndrome, which isn't classically recognized as a psychological disorder, but it is a function of most social species I think. Do things like, offer you peanut butter?”

“You thought I was terrifying?” Lotor asked, sounding a little amused.

“Well, yeah, I guess,” Pidge said. “You almost killed us a couple times but you know-- I could take you.”

“Really?” Lotor asked. “Do you think that?”

“I would destroy you,” Pidge said with the confidence that only someone wearing a pink blanket eating space peanut butter out of the jar at two in the morning could have. She took another bite of peanut butter.

“I wasn't doubting your capability,” Lotor said. “I was just curious as to why you believe that.”

“You know what your problem is?” She asked, and pointed her spoon at him. “You're too calculating. You think people are just tools to be used and tossed around but things are more complex then that, you know. It's like when you and Allura were talking when you first showed up here. She thought she was asking the questions but we found out jack shit and you got half of our plans and access to the whole ship when she accidentally revealed the pass code to your jail cell. Point, you're sneaking around the kitchen.”

“I see now,” Lotor said, a slight grin at his lips. “You're the cunning one aren't you? You pay attention and you keep it to yourself, watching, learning. I can admire that, Pidge.”

“Ah ha!” Pidge said. “You're doing it again. Now you're flattering me so I like you and I won't press this button on my phone and call Shiro down on you to kick your ass!”

Lotor narrowed his eyes and seemed to start realizing that he was doing the equivalent of attempting a high level philosophical debate with a cockatoo.

“I was just hungry,” Lotor said, half as a joke to himself and half to see if it would work.

“I offered you peanut butter,” Pidge said.

“And I respectfully refused,” Lotor said, holding up a hand. “Now, how do I make sure you forgot you saw me?”

“I know you think you're clever,” Pidge said. “By fucking around with my cameras but there ain't shit that happens in this castle without me knowing it. You came in here _looking_ for something and you're _still looking._ So what will make me forget seeing you is you telling me what you're looking for. Trust goes both ways and I really, really, really want to be your friend.”

“I'm observing,” Lotor said. “The construction of the castle ship. Your weapons. Your capabilities. Your designs. Everything, I'm watching, I'm learning and it's not necessarily against you because it could help you one day, but I do like to know what cards you have to play.”

“Liar,” Pidge said.

Lotor chuckled, “There's no bluff to call.”

“You're lying to me,” she repeated.

“Why would I?” He asked. “Still, you hold all the cards. I can't escape for fear of Zarkon tracking me down and killing me. I need you far more then you need me--”

“You're lying,” she continued.

“You can believe that,” Lotor said. “But I'm not.”

Pidge narrowed her eyes and Lotor met them. Pidge cocked and eyebrow and then grinned. “Alrighty then.”

“Very clever,” Lotor said, and nodded. “May I go now?”

“No,” Pidge said. “Well, I mean you can but it won't do you any good because I changed the pass code to your cell. Besides I'm not sure why you want to because there's an empty room on the quarters deck.”

“I'm not following,” Lotor said.

“I'm saying that if you happen to end up in a room,” Pidge said. “Then what is Allura and Shiro going to say? Particullary if I endorse you and your behavior?”

Pidge waggled her eyebrows.

“That is,” he began. “Astoundingly foolish of you.”

“I'm sleep deprived and making this up as I go,” Pidge said. “You wanna take the deal or not?”

“What do you get out of it?”

“You don't try to kill me in the future?” Pidge asked. “You know, the typical tenents of friendship? Slumber parties?”

“And if I take this deal?” Lotor asked. “Is that what we have? Friendship?” 

He chuckled on the last word as if he couldn't believe he was even saying it. From her approach to her offer, it was childish and even she would admit it but there was a genuineness in it. Pidge was a genuine person to her heart and although the war has taught her shrewdness she still maintained the core of herself. She presented herself as she was and never backed away from that. Lotor could refuse or accept but time would only tell what his true answer was. Pidge was aware of this going in and had already accepted it. 

“From a certain point of view,” Pidge said.

“That's too easy,” Lotor said.

“Hey,” Pidge said. “Lesson one on the power of love as I learned from anime and maturing in space is that making friends is actually really easy."

“I'm not sure I understood half of that.”

“Peanut butter?” Pidge offered.

Lotor hesitated, he closed eyes, sighed, and accepted the situation. He walked over to the counter and sat beside her. As a small concession of pride he lowered himself to her level and took the jar. Pidge watched in satisfaction as he took a bite, nodded in approval, and offered her the spoon.


End file.
